Universal joint shafts permit the movement of a springly suspended wheel relative to a drive device, which is fixedly inserted in the vehicle and can be a prime mover or a transmission situated downstream of the prime mover. During the movement of the axis of rotation of the springly suspended wheel, the universal joint, located at the ends of the universal joint shaft and transmitting the input torque, are subjected, regarding size and direction, to different deflection angles, thus representing specially loaded construction elements. Therefore, the deflection angles are generally structurally limited for protection of the joints against damage or wear.
In numerous applications, a permanent offset exists, between the drive device and the wheel, which has to be compensated by an adequate permanent inclination of the universal joint shaft. Such an offset generally exists in large wheels and low lying central transmissions or in small wheels and elevated central transmission, especially in cross-country vehicles where a large bottom clearance is required for the drive device, such as a differential. The permanent inclination of the universal joint shaft cannot be compensated for, via an adequately large deflection angle of the universal joint, as such the admissible deflection angle is generally exceeded by the superimposition of the largest total deflection angle determined by the elastic movement of the wheels and by the permanent inclination of the universal joint shaft. Therefore, constructions have already become known with which the permanent deflection angle of a universal joint determined by the inclination can be reduced at least partly.
DE 36 29 297 C2 discloses an individual drive in which the universal joint arrangements, provided at both ends of the universal joint shaft, are designed as double joint, i.e., each two individual joints are consecutively disposed in a row. In this manner, the total deflection angle divides between two joints so that the deflection angle of each individual joint can be halved. But such a constructional and structural arrangement involves great expense and is therefore costly. Besides, it also is not to be ruled out in such an arrangement that the deflection angle of each individual joint be so large as to make the service life uneconomical.
Considering this background, the problem is based on creating an individual wheel drive where the permanent deflection angle of a universal joint determined by a permanent inclination of the universal joint shaft can be extensively or completely reduced with simple practical means.